1. Field of the Invention
Various types of vehicles, such as tactical vehicles, or tactical trucks, and similar vehicles used in a battlefield or other armed conflict situations may sustain small arms fire, rocket explosions, artillery airbursts, land mine strikes, or attacks from improvised explosive devices. It would be desirable for these vehicles to be able to withstand the forces of the foregoing types of attacks and explosions to enhance the survivability for the occupants of such vehicles. By armoring the cab, or passenger cabin, of a vehicle, the survivability for the occupants of the vehicle may be enhanced.
2. Description of the Related Art
Present vehicles, such as tactical vehicles, or tactical trucks, and similar vehicles used on the battlefield or other armed conflict situations, have not typically been armored to withstand the forces of small arms fire, rocket explosions, artillery air bursts, land mine strikes, or attacks from improvised explosive devices. If such present vehicles have been provided with some type of armoring, such armoring may not have been as successful as desired in withstanding the forces of the foregoing types of attacks and explosions, whereby a desired level of occupant, or soldier, survivability has been achieved. In general, the armoring of the foregoing types of vehicles has been achieved by mounting a layer of armor plate material upon the existing walls of the cab, or passenger cabin. As to vehicles presently located in a combat zone, it is many times difficult to armor such vehicles in a combat zone, as well as the vehicle may not have been initially designed to permit the addition of armoring material, or the additional weight of the armoring material detracts from the performance of the vehicle. Additionally, there has not been much flexibility in providing varying degrees of armoring, or levels of protection.
Other disadvantages associated with present tactical vehicles and tactical trucks is that they are not designed to have a shape that provides stealth characteristics against radar, nor a shape which assists in the deflection of the various types of ordinance which may be fired or exploded against such vehicles.
Accordingly, prior to the development of the present invention, there has been no cab for use with vehicles, such as tactical vehicles, or tactical trucks, which: may be easily and readily armored; is able to afford various degrees of protection against the forces of the ordinance which may be fired or exploded against the cab of the vehicle; affords stealth characteristics against radar; and which has a shape which assists in the deflection of the various types of ordinance which may be fired or exploded against the armored cab. Therefore, it would be advantageous if an armored cab for tactical vehicles could be provided which has the advantages of: having a shape which provides stealth characteristics against radar; a shape which assists in the deflection of the various types of ordinance which may be fired or exploded against the armored cab; and which provides an enhanced level of soldier survivability for the occupants/soldiers occupying the armored cab.